diff --git a/include/lighttpd/worker.h b/include/lighttpd/worker.h
index 9b7f747..c434092 100644
--- a/include/lighttpd/worker.h
+++ b/include/lighttpd/worker.h
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ struct liWorker {
 
 	liStatCache *stat_cache;
 
-	GByteArray *network_read_buf; /** internal temporary buffer for network.c */
+	liBuffer *network_read_buf; /** available buffer - steal it if you need it, can be NULL. refcount must be 1, no other references. */
 };
 
 LI_API liWorker* li_worker_new(liServer *srv, struct ev_loop *loop);
diff --git a/src/main/connection.c b/src/main/connection.c
index 48a14c9..cd5e042 100644
--- a/src/main/connection.c
+++ b/src/main/connection.c
@@ -294,12 +294,25 @@ static G_GNUC_WARN_UNUSED_RESULT gboolean connection_try_read(liConnection *con)
 		goffset transferred;
 		transferred = con->raw_in->length;
 
+		if (NULL == con->raw_in_buffer && NULL != con->wrk->network_read_buf) {
+			/* reuse worker buf if needed */
+			con->raw_in_buffer = con->wrk->network_read_buf;
+			con->wrk->network_read_buf = NULL;
+		}
+
 		if (con->srv_sock->read_cb) {
 			res = con->srv_sock->read_cb(con);
 		} else {
 			res = li_network_read(con->mainvr, con->sock_watcher.fd, con->raw_in, &con->raw_in_buffer);
 		}
 
+		if (NULL == con->wrk->network_read_buf && NULL != con->raw_in_buffer
+		    && 1 == g_atomic_int_get(&con->raw_in_buffer->refcount)) {
+			/* move buffer back to worker if we didn't use it */
+			con->wrk->network_read_buf = con->raw_in_buffer;
+			con->raw_in_buffer = NULL;
+		}
+
 		transferred = con->raw_in->length - transferred;
 		if (transferred > 0) connection_update_io_timeout(con);
 
diff --git a/src/main/worker.c b/src/main/worker.c
index 6441f6c..bd4c282 100644
--- a/src/main/worker.c
+++ b/src/main/worker.c
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ liWorker* li_worker_new(liServer *srv, struct ev_loop *loop) {
 
 	wrk->tasklets = li_tasklet_pool_new(wrk->loop, srv->tasklet_pool_threads);
 
-	wrk->network_read_buf = g_byte_array_sized_new(0);
+	wrk->network_read_buf = NULL;
 
 	return wrk;
 }
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ void li_worker_free(liWorker *wrk) {
 	wrk->L = NULL;
 #endif
 
-	g_byte_array_free(wrk->network_read_buf, TRUE);
+	li_buffer_release(wrk->network_read_buf);
 
 	g_slice_free(liWorker, wrk);
 }